Generation 18: The Spook Squad 2 by Keri Arthur

elevator, then got in and headed back to the ground floor. She led the way out of the building. The rain pelted down, a cold gray curtain that quickly drenched them both. Not that she seemed to take much notice as she marched up the street to the nearest cab rank.
    “What now?” she muttered, once they were both inside the cab.
    “Now we go back to my place and view the security tapes from both Harry Maxwell’s building and this one.” The address he punched into the console was hers—she’d catch a cold, or worse, if she stayed in her current clothes, and he didn’t have anything that would even come close to fitting her.
    “Well, gee, don’t
you
know how to show a girl a good time?”
    He ignored the sarcasm in her voice. “We’ll stop and get some takeout, too. There’s not much in the way of edible food at my place.”
    “There’s a surprise.”
    She crossed her arms and stared out the side window, angry as all hell and fighting not to show it. He ran a hand through his wet hair and half-wished he could take back the words he’d said in anger. But, damn it, if she didn’t start investigating just who and what she was, all hell could break loose. Her psychic gifts were coming to the surface. Why that was happening now, when she was almost thirty, he didn’t know. But Sethanon had feared the emergence of those gifts enough to place at least one guard on her—though, oddly enough, he seemed reluctant to harm her physically.
    It made no sense. Nothing about her past made any sense.
    But he had a bad feeling they’d better start finding some answers. Jack had warned them that a war was starting, a war in which Sethanon planned to subjugate the human race as well as any nonhumans who sided with them, and he had a feeling Sam was a key to what might happen. Why else would Sethanon be so interested in her? And if she
was
a key, then he sure as hell was going to keep forcing her to chase her past and the memories she’d lost. Because they could be very important for everyone’s survival. So perhaps she was right. Perhaps he
was
no better than Jack.
    Except that she’d liked Jack. And she sure as hell did not like
him
.
    Which was a damn shame, because if she weren’t his partner, he would have been tempted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless.
    —
    Sam leaned back in the chair and stretched. She’d been sitting at this console for close to ten hours and her butt felt numb. As numb as her mind.
    She rubbed her forehead. The ache had set in behind her eyes again, and her stomach was beginning to cramp—probably as a result of all the coffee Gabriel had given her in the last few hours.
    It was time to give her eyes another break. Sighing, she turned away from the console. His apartment wasn’t what she’d expected. Given his long hours, and the time he spent working on Federation projects, she’d expected his apartment to be sterile—a place where he came to sleep and regain strength, and nothing more.
    Situated in Parkville, opposite the grand old Royal Park, the two-story apartment block was a carefully renovated remnant of the Victorian age. Gabriel owned the whole top floor, and the view from the front windows was a sea of green. It was like living in the treetops, she mused, and wondered if that was why he’d bought it. Perhaps it appeased some need in his hawk soul.
    The color scheme within the apartment complemented the leafy view, with sandstone-colored walls and faded turquoise doors and frames. Brightly patterned rugs were scattered across the polished floorboards, topped by dark blue leather sofas that had seen better times. It reminded her of the southwestern décor in Stephan’s house and yet, oddly enough, there were no photos of Stephan here—no photos of
any
family. Maybe it was a precautionary measure. Maybe he didn’t want to risk anyone breaking in and discovering just whom he was related to. Certainly that information wasn’t available on any computer; she’d checked